Charles Dowding (born 1959) is an English horticulturalist and author who has pioneered modern no dig and organic soil management in the UK since 1983.

Life and work

Dowding spent his childhood on a dairy farm in Somerset. He graduated from his degree in geography at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in 1980, having been influenced by environmental writers such as

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservation movement, conservationist whose sea trilogy (1941–1955) and book ''Silent Spring'' (1962) are credited with advancing mari ...

. "How does your garden grow"
''Guardian'' 4 November 2015 In the 1980s he worked for a hotel in the

Hebrides The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...

.Quarto Books biography
/ref> Dowding joined the

Soil Association The Soil Association is a British registered charity focused on the effect of agriculture on the environment. It was established in 1946. Their activities include campaigning for local purchasing, public education on nutrition and certificat ...

and began with his own organic, no dig market gardening, interested in improving quality of soil, while making a vegetable garden beautiful, ornamental, productive and supportive of biodiversity. He became influenced by the approaches of gardeners such as

Ruth Stout Ruth Imogen Stout (June 14, 1884 – August 22, 1980) was an American author best known for her "No-Work" gardening books and techniques. Early and mid-life Ruth Imogen Stout was born June 14, 1884, in Girard, Kansas, the fifth child of Quaker ...

, who championed strategies of leaving organic matter on the soil surface, rather than working it into the soil. Dowding started one of the UK's first vegetable box distribution schemes, bringing produce to local homes. In 1990 he left to live in France and Zambia before returning to settle back in

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

for the rest of his life. He has worked four farms in Somerset, trialling and teaching organic, no dig methods and experimented with various forms of mulch. With his wife he also ran a bed and breakfast business, inspired by their time in France. At Homeacres, in Alhampton near

Castle Cary Castle Cary () is a market town and civil parish in south Somerset, England, north west of Wincanton and south of Shepton Mallet, at the foot of Lodge Hill and on the River Cary, a tributary of the Parrett. History The word Cary derives ...

, Dowding now lectures and runs courses on no dig gardening methods, writing for assorted newspapers and the BBC. He is described as the "Guru of No Dig" and has published over ten books on the subject. In 2021 the work was featured at the RHS

Hampton Court Flower Show The Hampton Court Garden Festival (formerly The Hampton Court Flower Show) is an annual British flower show, held in early July of each year. The show is run by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) at Hampton Court Palace in the London Borough ...

.''Gardeners' World'', BBC
4 May 2017"No dig gardening"
''House Beautiful Magazine'' 11 February 2020 In 2024 he was awarded a RHS Elizabeth Medal of Honour for his work to promote no-dig gardening.

Methods

Dowding states that, with one helper, he can produce 100 kg of produce from a 10sqm plot and generates £20,000 worth of vegetables per year (2020 prices). He does not believe in the principles of

crop rotation Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area across a sequence of growing seasons. This practice reduces the reliance of crops on one set of nutrients, pest and weed pressure, along with the pro ...

, or digging out vegetables to harvest. Hoeing and other forms of soil disturbance are minimally used; no pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or synthetic fertilisers are used. Main resources for enriching crops are pesticide-free manure and homemade organic compost. He proposes that if the soil is left unmolested, the community of biodiverse microbes, insects, invertebrates and important fine fungi can thrive. He suggests that fully alive

humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...

holds moisture, air, and food for the resident life. Fungal proteins, such as

glomalin Glomalin is a hypothetical glycoprotein produced abundantly on hyphae and spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in soil and in roots. Glomalin was proposed in 1996 by Sara F. Wright, a scientist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, bu ...

from arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, are left intact to spread and thrive, benefiting the soil, and leading to a reduction in erosion. After weeding, adding a thick layer of mulch to the soil helps to feed the plot and keep the annual weeds from growing by blocking their access to light."Getting down to earth"
5 April 2008 ''Guardian'' Traditional garden methods suggest that soil should be dug over each autumn in order to aerate it, aid drainage and add growth improvers like manure. "Can you not dig it?" ''New Scientist'', 9 November 2021 Dowding and other 'no dig' proponents state these approaches are not needed and do not support the resources of the soil.

Publications

* ''Organic Gardening: The Natural No-Dig Way'' (2007) * ''Salad Leaves for All Seasons: Organic Growing from Pot to Plot'' (2008) * ''Charles Dowding's Vegetable Course'' (2012) * ''How to Grow Winter Vegetables'' (2011) * ''Gardening Myths and Misconceptions'' (2014) * ''Charles Dowding's Veg Journal: Expert no-dig advice, month by month'' (2014) * ''How to Create a New Vegetable Garden: Producing a Beautiful and Fruitful Garden from Scratch'' (2015) * ''Charles Dowding's Vegetable Garden Diary: No Dig, Healthy Soil, Fewer Weeds'' (2016) * ''No Dig Organic Home & Garden: Grow, Cook, Use, and Store Your Harvest'' (2020) * ''Charles Dowding's No Dig Gardening: From Weeds to Vegetables quickly and easily'' (2020) * ''Skills for Growing'' (2022) * ''No Dig'' (2022)

References

External links

Gardeners' World guide to no dig gardening
BBC ''Gardeners' World Magazine'', 3 February 2020
"Getting down to earth", No dig gardening.
''Guardian'', 5 April 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dowding, Charles English gardeners English garden writers People from Somerset People from Shepton Mallet English horticulturists Permaculturalists Organic gardeners Living people 1959 births